It seems the controversy between county fair boards and protesters against vending Stars & Bars amid the dairy contests will continue for a while, with neither side willing to bend. But, In Hometown Oneonta, you can also read about OPT Director Paul Patterson’s retirement, and City Hall trying to pick up where Otsego Now has faltered in seeking key CFAs. In the Freeman’s Journal, there’s a dispute over county board ballots in the Cooperstown/Town of Otsego district, and a Be Positive Festival is being planned to help people overcome the malaise resulting from national politics. Also, local folks are headed to see next week’s total eclipse of the sun.

NATURE WALK – 6-7:30 p.m. Walk through Riddell State Park with Patricia Riddell Kent and Steve Kent. Visit historic structures, fields, and forests along the Schenevus creek and learn the history of the land. Meet at the Main Entrance of the Robert V. Riddell State Park, Riddell Rd., Davenport. Call (607) 547-4488 or visit occainfo.org/calendar/nature-walk-robert-v-riddell-state-park/

Retiring Public Transit Director Paul Patterson gives his final report to Common Council this evening to thunderous applause from the council members. Details in this week’s Hometown Oneonta (Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)

Over 100 people gathered in Muller Plaza this evening to rally in solidarity in response to the violence in Charlottesville, VA. and to denounce white supremacy. The gathering was organized by Craig Schwalenburg of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Oneonta. After an invocation by Schwalenburg, the mic was available for anyone to use to share their thoughts and experiences. Above, Christina Hunt Wood, above, Delhi, tells the crowd of her recent experiences at the Delaware County Fair when her protest group approached the Fair Board about banning the sale of Confederate flags, they were barred from the fairgrounds. The crowd closed the evening by singing “This Little Light of Mine.” (Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)

600 Sign Petition For Ban

“We are moved that so many people in our area have the courage to stand up against hate and racism at our fair – and in our area,” Fair for All co-founder Christine Hunt Wood tells 50 supporters at a press conference today outside the gates of the Delaware County Fair in Walton. (Christopher Brown photo)

WALTON – Fifty participants in the Fair for All movement seeking a ban on the sale of Confederate flags at the Delaware County Fair today were barred at the fair gates from delivering a 600-signature petition, according to spokesperson Laura McClure.

When the 50 Fair for All supporters approached the gate, a security guard closed it, said McClure. Then Ed Rossley, president of the fair board, arrived, told them they could not enter, and declined to accept the petition. The fair board’s secretary later accepted the document, the spokesperson said.

SCHOHARIE – Funeral services are Tuesday, Aug. 15, for Andrew Harold German, 80, a businessman, Army veteran and father of the adjutant general of the New York State National Guard. He died at his home on Aug. 9, 2017.

Andrew was born on May 14, 1937, in Roxbury, the son of Melvin and Angie (Hinkley) German.

He served in the Army from 1955 to 1964 as a paratrooper in the 82nd and 101st Airborne Division, spending time in Germany and Lebanon.